Deity
by MercenaryCrime
Summary: Requested by jameis; A fatal accident leaves a gaping rift between a bound deity and his charge. But when a half-dead exorcist is brought into the Branch's care... will this be the straw that breaks the camel's back? MaleFou, AllenXFou
1. Chapter 1

….

The entire room was bathed in blood and mangled bodies. It was hard to believe that one single child could do so much. However, that was no ordinary child but one created for the sake of all humanity.

He cringed at the project his parents had been apart of it. But what hurt the most was that they were both leaning against the wall, hand in hand. They looked to be at peace if you ignored the blood and gaping holes within their torso.

But his fury remained on the figure standing mournfully in front of them. Head bowed and fists clenched only made his blood boil.

Why didn't the guardian deity come to their aid when they most needed it? This could have been prevented; some lives could have been saved!

The more he thought, the more he came to loath the deity that was bound to the blood of the Chan's.

….

**There have been a lot of Laven and Yullen as of late, and not many others. So as requested by jameis, I've begun to write something completely different to what I'm use to. **

**As said in the summary, there is male-Fou and the pairing is Allen X Fou. **

**If you like, please leave a REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

….

The early morning air was crisp and cool; every breath was a faint white mist. Shafts of light filtered through the lush green canopy, catching on his rustic orange hair. The mild chill sent shivers down his spine.

Taking a stroll in the surrounding bamboo forests had become almost a weekly habit for him. Not that he minded it was nice to wander about once in a while. But today just seemed… off.

As he walked into the bamboo forest, a strange dense fog began to gather about him.

'Strange…' That single thought past through his mind as he continued onwards at a slower pace. It wasn't long before he was forced to use his arms to navigate the tightly packed stems of the bamboo.

Then he smelt something… a faint coppery scent that seemed to grow stronger the further he walked in. It didn't take him long before he could recognize the scent of a fresh corpse. But he couldn't see where, the fog prevented him.

Suddenly, his toe stubbed against something solid causing him to lose his balance and fall face first into the leaf litter.

"The Hell!" he exclaimed aloud as he held his nose in pain, fearing it to be broken. Then his eye caught hold of something scattered amongst the leaves. Frowning he picked one up and recognized the design of a western playing card, nine of hearts.

He glanced behind him.

'This is bad…' he swallowed dryly as the fog wavered in front of him yet he could still see the cause of his fall. An exorcist, recognizable by their silver-lined coat, lay sprawled amidst the scattered cards.

It looked to be a boy whose left arm was torn away and flaking at the shoulder. His dull grey eyes showed no signs of life.

'It's already too late for him,' he thought bitterly before checking for any vital signs that would say otherwise. Not finding any, he gathered the dead body onto his back. It was best to take it back to the Asian branch so the exorcist could then be sent back to Headquarters for a proper burial.

The fog continued to gather about him and finding his way back was proving to be just as difficult as before.

'What is up with this fog?' He slowed his pace again when he almost ran into the thick bamboo. His irritation soon grew to frustration when he got the feeling that he was probably going around in circles.

'This is impossible!'

Then something warm brushed past his ear almost causing him to drop the body. He turned to look back the way he had come but no one was there.

'Am I being paranoid?' He frowned and decided to pursue the matter later before a muffled sigh echoed from the dead body.

He went rigid not thinking it could have been possible.

'He's alive? But I checked his vitals…!' He gritted his teeth, wondering if he was actually imagining things. But then he thought of the thick fog that seemed to follow them.

'No way… could this mist be…?' He quickens his pace as much as he could despite the low visibility.

'I have to get back to the Branch!'

….

**Chapter done, so I'll keep going as much as I can with this while writing a few other of my stories.**

**Hope you enjoyed this and please leave a REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

….

After much difficulty, he finally made it back to the entrance of the Asian Branch. He wasted no time passing through the barrier with the exorcist that seemed to barely cling onto any obvious signs of life.

He stumbled into the dimly lit corridors where some scientists were casually strolling back. Their eyes widened in shock at the sight before them but he stopped any questions that might have been said.

"Someone get Bak, this exorcist is still alive!" The scientists were stirred into a panic but they scurried off soon after leaving him alone with the exorcist.

It didn't take long before a young man with blonde hair briskly strolled towards him with a slight frown on his face. Behind him was his assistant by the name of Wong.

"What are you spouting about now, Fou?" He asked as Fou tried to readjust his hold on the exorcist.

"This exorcist is still alive Bak and needs medical attention now!" Fou persisted as Bak walked up to him and placed his hand along the exorcists pale neck.

"There's a heartbeat… Wong, prepare the medical team and Fou, you'll carry him to the infirmary,' the assistant nodded and rushed down the corridor. Fou rolled his eyes since he was already carrying the exorcist, and followed Bak as the young man turned on his foot.

They hurried to where the medical staff had already set up the necessary equipment and the exorcist was lifted off Fou's back. He moved away from the bustling nurses and doctors and stood out in the empty corridor.

"So what happened?" Bak asked stiffly as the blonde man walked out of the hectic room. Fou leaned against the smooth stone and glanced at his feet.

"Beats me, I tripped over the kid in that state but he was dead when I first checked him," Fou grumbled under his breath as an urgent shout rose from the inside of the room.

"But you said he was alive?" Bak questioned, skepticism bordering his tone of voice, as he doubted Fou's words.

"He started breathing again all of a sudden, I almost dropped him. I tried to bring him here as quickly as I could but that damn fog was being a nuisance," Fou clenched his hands into a tight fist while he explained himself to the Head of the Asian Branch.

"Fog?"

"I don't think it's ordinary fog either, it was like it was trying to protect the kid because it followed me all the way here," He folded his arms as he gazed at Bak's calculating gaze. The Head Chief seemed to puzzle over this piece of information with a furrow to his brow.

"Move it into an empty room and I'll get the scientist's to analyze it," Bak said coolly before turning his back to Fou and walked away. Fou grizzled about having more work to do but he couldn't do anything about it.

"Fine…"

….

**Hmm, I think it's going well… maybe… anyway please post a REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

….

Silver eyes snapped open in shock and stared up at the stone-grey ceiling. His heart that he had long thought to be dead was beating wildly in his chest, bringing warm tears to his eyes.

He was alive, but how…?

He sat up taking in the odd feeling of his missing left arm and the bandages wrapped securely around his arm and torso. Everything to him seemed so surreal right now, could this possibly be another dream he was having?

He decided to glance about him and took in the dreariness of his surroundings. Then he laid eyes on the dull orange hair propped at the foot of his bed. It fell over its owners face, stubbornly obscuring his view.

Not knowing what to do, he lifted his thickly bandaged arm to brush away the orange bangs to get a better view of the person's face. Only to have it slapped away.

The person was glaring at him, a boy who looked to be about his age. He couldn't help but watch the internal battle about whether to be happy or angry with him being awake.

"Uh…?" He tried to think of a way to cover up his actions. But he wasn't coming up with anything.

"About time you woke up, exorcist, wait here while I go get some assistance," he blinked as the strangely clothed boy hurried out of the room leaving him confused.

Maybe this wasn't a dream after all… maybe this was real…

Pulling the white sheets off his legs. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and pressed them against the cold stone floor. He stood up, slowly swaying on his feet before taking hold of the bedside table beside him.

Leaning against it, he took several deep breaths and continued forward only to be stopped at the door by a blonde man.

"You shouldn't be out of bed, especially after everything you have been through," the man placed his hand gently on his shoulder and escorted him back to his bed.

"Where am I?" He decided to ask as he sat back on his bed. The man pulled up a chair beside him.

"This is the Asian Branch, I'm the Head Supervisor, Bak Chang," He nodded at Bak slowly as to make sure he understood what was going on. But what he didn't understand was how he was alive.

Just thinking about it made him touch his chest lightly with his bandaged hand. Bak seemed to notice the gesture and frowned.

"So you are aware of the hole that was in your heart?" He looked up at the blond man and was meant with a serious gaze.

"… Yes, I thought I was suppose to be dead… that's what the Noah wanted anyway," He curled his injured hand into a tight-enough fist to help quell the rising mixture of feelings overwhelming him.

"Maybe, it just wasn't your time yet and you have your innocence to thank for that. It filled in the hole by entering your body as particles," Bak explained suddenly causing his head to reel in shock. He couldn't understand what the man in front of him was saying. His innocence was crushed, destroyed by the hands of that Noah with the beauty mark!

"How…no… why me?"

"Our limited knowledge only gives us so much, Allen Walker," Allen didn't like the information given to him as he ignored Bak's endless chatter of God's will and miracles.

He hadn't meant to be rude, Mana would scowl him otherwise but his thoughts were still muddled that he was finding it hard to concentrate.

"Who was he?" Allen spoke aloud as Bak paused his endless prattling and stared at him. The man's expression took on a slightly baffled look.

"Who?"

"The boy who was here before?" Bak's mood seemed to darken slightly and gazed over his shoulder.

"That would be Fou, he's the Guardian of the Asian Branch much like the Gatekeeper at Headquarters,"

….

**Sorry about posting another short chapter but once this story picks up pace, I'll try to make them longer so just bear with me on this one. **

**Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

….

Allen gazed about the seemingly empty room in awe. Swirling about him like glittering mist was his innocence. According to Bak, the innocence still retained its God-like powers despite being reduced to such a form. The man had even stated that it was a miracle!

But once again, Allen was distracted by something else. Sure he was surprised and glad that he and his innocence survived their second close encounter with a Noah. He was just a little disappointed that he hadn't seen the orange-haired boy that he had first seen in the infirmary.

He had found out from Bak's assistance, Wong that it had been Fou who had carried him here. Not being able to meet this Guardian, Allen couldn't exactly express his gratitude to the boy.

A sigh broke past his lips making both Bak and Wong look at him.

"Something wrong Walker?" Bak asked looking up from his clipboard, brows slightly raised. Allen shook his head.

"Nothing important, so is there a chance to regain my ability to fight?" He answered quickly; thankfully the head supervisor hadn't noticed and looked up at the shimmering particles.

"There is a high probability but like I said, this is the first time we have ever ventured into such unknown territory," Allen swallowed dryly at that. Sure there was a chance, but there was also a chance that this could backfire. It definitely did leave a bad taste in his mouth... bittersweet probably.

"Moreover, the innocence shows no indication that it'll disappear but we have to continue monitoring it," Bak carried on without Allen realizing and blinked out of his thoughts.

"So I might only have a limited amount of time to reform my innocence?" Allen asked nervously. If there wasn't any pressure before, there was certainly some now.

"On the contrary, it may stay like this permanently," He cringed as Bak looked to his clipboard before a loud bang came from the door.

"Damnit all, I told you three that this area was off limits to the likes of you," a voice shouted as Allen and Bak glanced at the now opened door. On the ground were three people about Allen's age, probably older. They were wearing the distinguished white coats of the Science Division.

Towering over them with a scowl that could rival a certain samurai was the orange-haired boy from the infirmary. Allen saw his chance but he became wary. If he did speak to the Guardian now, there was likelihood that the boy could direct his fury onto him instead.

'Maybe later…' he thought grimly.

"Aw~ but we wanted to take a peek at the innocence," one of the scientist's jittered. He seemed to be the tallest of the trio and well built.

"And the exorcist too," the female added quickly before Bak coughed and caught everyone's attention. The trio then glanced at each other nervously.

"I'm sorry that the rookies managed to get in here, Bak," the boy explained stiffly, sending a glare at the junior scientists. Bak lightly tapped his head with the clipboard, a wistful look to his blue eyes.

"I suppose we could use the help but I'm assigning you all to the archives for the rest of your apprenticeship,"

"EH?" The trio exclaimed as well as Fou. The Guardian probably wasn't expecting that kind of response from Bak. The Head Supervisor then glanced at Allen.

"Do you mind Walker?" Bak turned to him with a sly smirk. Allen shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"I don't mind," he replied before turning to the three on the floor. "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Allen Walker,"

The girl immediately began swooning while the two boys beside her just grimaced. Allen on the other hand didn't know how to take the sudden unwanted attention.

"Before we start anything, Walker, I need you to go through a medical examination. We want to make sure that your body is prepared to re-sync with your innocence," Bak spoke up and placed his hand onto Allen's shoulder. Allen reluctantly nodded.

If possible, he would have like to try and reform his innocence right then. But what Bak said was fair enough, he really shouldn't rush into things. With that said though, he was still eager to give it a go despite the risk.

"And before I forget, Komui warned me about your lack of direction so I'll assign the juniors as your guides. We can never be too careful here," Allen winced as Bak mentioned his inability to follow even the simplest of routes.

"R-right…"

….

"You're only fifteen?" The junior scientist known as Li Kei exclaimed at such a volume that he couldn't help but wince. How Fou had ended up following the group was beyond him. Maybe the white-haired kid was peaking his curiosity…? Yes, that probably was it.

"I don't see how that's fascinating?" Allen said with an awkward scratch of his head but Fou frowned. The kid was being overly modest and even if the small smile fooled the juniors, Fou had been around too long to know when something wasn't right.

"But it isn't every day we get an exorcist whose innocence is still active after losing its form," Shifu, the most serious of the trio pointed out. His lips pulled into a thin line as he contemplated his own question. There was a dark shift in the young exorcist's eyes that made Fou slightly suspicious.

"Even so, this whole thing couldn't have been a coincidence," Lo Hwa mentioned, her finger hovering over her mouth.

"Whatever Lo Hwa, this is still cool!" Fou rolled his eyes as Li Kei did a small fist punch into the air. He was starting to get a headache following them around and was about to turn down a different corridor.

"Um, Fou was it?" Fou stopped mid-stride and stared at the young exorcist. The whole group paused.

"Yes, what is it?" He asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I heard from Wong that you were the one that carried me here… so I just wanted to thank you," the boy bowed, leaving Fou completely stunned. But he quickly gathered himself.

"O-Of course, just don't expect me to save your ass again!" For some reason, Fou felt uneasy with the kid and hurried away a bit too quickly for his liking.

'The fuck… why am I running away from some stupid kid?'

….

**Not much yet but give me a moment but at least this is a start. I can't promise much though; romance doesn't spring from thin air!**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please leave a REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

….

The next day found Allen in the same room as his innocence. The shimmering particles seemed unchanged since the last time he had seen it. With his medical exam out of the way, Bak had agreed that he'd try to reform his innocence.

As anxious, as he was to regain his innocence, Allen still felt a little bewildered with what had happened last night. The Guardian had completely caught him off guard with his words.

"_**O-Of course, just don't expect me to save your ass again!"**_

To say he was confused was an understatement. It had kept him up for half the night just wondering what the Guardian had meant. Allen mentally kicked himself for being so selfish. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything to begin with then maybe Fou wouldn't be somewhat avoiding him now!

Thinking so hard was making his head hurt.

"Walker?" Two fingers snapped in front of his face, bringing him right out of his thoughts and Allen gazed into Bak's blue eyes.

"Good, now that I have your attention… try to call out to your innocence," Allen nodded and stepped out into the middle of the room. Behind him, lined up against the wall were Bak, Wong and the juniors he had come to know quite well over the past few hours.

"Ok… here goes nothing then," _innocence activate!_

Almost instantly there was a reaction, the particles of innocence began to swirl about in him like a mini tornado. He could feel the power of his innocence, the familiar hum he had gotten used to over the years. Just knowing that he could call upon the innocence, lightened his spirit.

'I hope this works,' he thought as the innocence began to connect with the mangled stump of his left arm. Slowly but surely, a form was being taken. The silver metal of his activated arm was beginning to take shape before everyone's eyes.

But at the last finger, everything fell apart in a great gust of wind. Every soul in the room was left flabbergasted except Allen; he felt a small wound to his pride.

"What happened? Why didn't it stay like that?" Li Kei wondered aloud breaking the silence that had fallen in the room. Bak leaned against the wall, scratching his head.

"Maybe our approach was wrong," he broke off with a wistful look as he glanced at his clipboard.

"The synchronization was there, that is something at least," Shifu noted, folding his arms. Lo Hwa nodded in agreement. Allen stared at the stump before gazing up at the particles floating above his head.

'Why innocence?' Allen couldn't understand. He was doing what he had always done and the innocence was responding. But it seemed to refuse to stay how he had wanted it to.

"Walker, try activating your innocence again," Bak, ordered as Allen nodded.

"Right," but the innocence burst into particles quicker each time Allen tried to reform his innocence. The effort left Allen gasping for breath.

"Enough Walker," Bak said quickly, the young man was looking slightly frustrated by the way he clenched of his jaws.

"But Bak…"

"I said enough," the Branch Head demanded firmly and Allen closed his mouth, hanging his head low. He couldn't help but feel like he had disappointed everyone's hopes for him.

"Chief, maybe a different approach is in order," Shifu chipped in as Bak scratched his chin thoughtfully and nodded slowly.

"Yes, yes that might work… but first, you three are to escort Walker back to his room so that he can get some rest," Allen sighed, knowing that he had to follow orders and followed the juniors out of the room.

….

"You called Bak?" Fou asked as he entered the Branch Head's office. The spacious room was clutter-free and organized with only a single desk and chair situated in the centre of the room. Bak was sitting at the desk, flipping through the papers Wong had placed down before him.

"Yes, it's about Walker," Bak replied before gazing up and meeting his eye. Something the Branch Head rarely did unless it was most necessary. Fou couldn't help but know there was no way out of whatever Bak had planned.

"So…?"

"Walker has been able to achieve a safe synchronization with his innocence but he can't keep a solid form for even a few seconds. I've decided to change tactics so your assistance is required," Fou placed his hands on his hips waiting for Bak to just spit it out so that he could be on his way. The entire room was filled with an uncomfortable tension that even Wong excused him self and left the room.

"Go on…"

"I'm planning on putting Walker in a life-threatening position in hopes that the innocence will stay in a permanent form,"

"So it's basically a mock battle?" Fou said uncertainly as Bak slowly stood up with a few papers in hand. From what Fou could make out, they looked to be medical records, properly Allen Walker's.

"Actually, I want it to be as close to the real thing as possible," Bak said bluntly causing Fou to look at him in shock.

"What if something goes wrong, he might eventually end up dead for good!" he exclaimed but grimaced when Bak eyed him coldly.

"Since when have you ever regarded someone's safety?" Fou was completely taken back by the man's words. But guilt made him look away when the pain of old wounds began to hurt him.

"Have you discussed this with Walker yet?" Fou decided to ask not looking up from the ground. He could at least hope that the matter wasn't discussed further. Thankfully Bak had a similar idea and with a slight cough he replied.

"Not yet, I'm letting him rest up for today, but we'll begin tomorrow,"

….

**And that will be all… I hopefully you're all enjoying the change of pace because I'm actually beginning to make this longer and longer. Though doing it this way will probably make posting a lot longer… maybe…**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and please leave a REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

….

Allen barely slept a wink the night before; his anxiety to know what Bak would task him with next was depriving him of sleep. But soon enough morning had come, as well as breakfast and now Lo Hwa and the other junior scientists were leading him down one of the many halls.

However, he couldn't recognize this as the route to the room where his innocence was kept. It just couldn't be since it strayed far from it and he wasn't exactly good with directions.

"Where are we going?" Allen asked aloud as Shifu and Li Kei glanced over their shoulders. Lo Hwa fell into step beside him with a bright smile on her face.

"Chief Bak ordered us to take you to another area. According to him, you'll continue your training there," she replied. Allen nodded slowly but apprehension kept him on his toes. What had the Branch Head prepared for him? He could only hope that it would help to get his innocence back.

It wasn't long before the small group stepped into a rather large spacious room. Wide stone columns rose towards the high ceiling, casting dark shadows around the dimly lit area. Allen swallowed nervously as he stared up at a mosaic like wall towering over them. He had never seen such a structure before but it gave off a rather mystique vibe that sent chills down his spine.

"I'm glad you arrived on time Walker," Bak called to him as the Asian Branch Head stepped out of the shadows followed closely by his assistant. Allen smiled back politely.

"That because of the juniors you assigned to help me," the blonde man nodded slowly, raising a single hand to his hip. Bak's calm expression turned serious in a matter of seconds.

"Yes of course, but furthermore this here will be where you'll continue your training. I have decided that maybe a more radical approach will cause your innocence to take shape faster but that in itself pose some risk," Allen grimaced as Bak began to explain what he had come up within such a short amount of time.

"And I don't like it," a gruff voice stated aloud as Allen turned around to look towards the mosaic-like wall. The sound of electricity snapping and crackling was heard before a shape slowly melted out of the wall. Allen gapped in surprise as he realized whom it was while on the other hand Bak hadn't seemed fazed.

"Fou here is going to be your partner," Bak announced clearly as he sent a stern glare towards the Guardian. Fou grumbled as the orange-haired boy now stood at the base of the wall glaring at some spot on the floor.

Allen stared back at Bak hoping for a proper explanation before he caught a dark shape darting towards him from the corner of his eye. There had been little time to respond before he was flung into one of the many stone pillars that lined the edges of the room.

Pain ripped through his entire being as he met the stone, creating a small crater in the pillar. Falling forward, Allen managed to catch himself on his hands and knees to soften his fall. He could hear the gasps of shock and concern coming from the juniors looking on in horror.

"In the past, you have been able to further develop your innocence when your life had been threatened. By creating a similar atmosphere, there could be a chance that the innocence will react to it once again," Bak continued as if Allen hadn't been sent flying. Allen glanced back to where the Head was standing calmly and noticed that Fou had moved from his position beside the wall.

But there was something very different about the Guardian. An almost murderous aura surrounded the small-framed boy whose hands seemed to have been morphed into viciously curved blades.

"This is a mock battle, exorcist but that doesn't mean I'll be easy on you," Fou said bluntly as he changed his stance. Allen closed his eyes and took a deep breath and slowly stood up, shrugging the jacket off his shoulders.

"That's fine, we'll call it Operation Cornered Rat," a crude smile was the only answer to his words before Fou lunged towards him at frightening speeds.

….

It was a simple flurry of movement but to Fou, there was certain swiftness to the white-haired boy's step. He was definitely light on his feet when pushed and the aura surrounding the exorcist hadn't gone unnoticed by him. It was almost like he was facing a completely different person. No longer did he see the kind or considerate boy but someone who seemed to have faced a reality no one his age should.

The focused look in the boy's silver eyes gave it away as he ducked under the blades Fou attacked him with. Fou sidestepped around him and twisted on his heel and brought his foot into the middle of the exorcist's ribcage. It sent the boy back gasping as he staggered about trying to regain his footing.

But Fou wasn't finished and lunged at him while he remained slightly winded. The exorcist noticed and stepped back before jumping away just before his back hit the wall. Fou followed him with his eyes and swiftly changed his direction, ramming his shoulder into the boy knocking him flat off his feet.

"S-shouldn't you be a little easier on him Fou?" He heard Lo Hwa call out behind him. The concern in her voice made him frown.

"Would you expect an enemy to be easy?" Fou replied harshly without turning around to face her. Instead he allowed Allen to stand up and resume a fighting stance. His hair was now an off-white colour because of the dirt but his determination was unshaken.

"Right," Allen seemed to reassure him that he was ready to begin again. Fou nodded, taking two quick steps before jumping over the exorcist and taking a swipe at his exposed back. It was then that Fou noticed hesitation in the boy's aura as Allen stumbled back and avoided his attack. The exorcist's retreating tactic was starting to piss him off, in particular, the sudden change of heart.

"The aim is to attack me damnit, not run away!" Fou growled at Allen as the exorcist paused suddenly. Fou held his attack, his blade hovering just centimeters from the boy's neck.

"You would have lost your head idiot," he deadpanned like he didn't care but that had actually been very close. The white-headed fool could have really lost his head if he hadn't stopped in time! Fou watched as Allen gritted his teeth in protest.

"I know that, just give me sometime," Fou rolled his eyes.

"Time is what you don't have, now get use to it and defend yourself _with_ your innocence," Allen seemed to grimace at his words but stood strong regardless as Fou jumped back. Then without hesitation, he moved forward swinging his arm blades about him almost like a spinning top.

Fou barely saw Allen reel back in slight alarm, skipping backwards. Then to his mild surprise, Fou was stopped in his tracks by a glistening silver claw. It hadn't taken him long to realize that the kid had managed to activate his innocence. But as he went to attack Allen again, the innocence dissipated into a cloud of glittering dust.

"Don't let it dishearten you, try again!" Fou shouted when he saw the look of disappointment spread across the exorcist's pale face. As the boy's guard lowered, Fou kicked him in the gut and knocked him back into another pillar.

Allen swayed on his feet as he stood up but seemed to steady himself rather well. The boy nodded again and they continued.

….

**Fighting scenes… I enjoy doing them but~ it takes me a while to be completely satisfied with them so things might take a while to update… maybe… anyway hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a REVIEW!**


	8. Chapter 8

….

It had been two days after Bak had suggested that Fou recreate a life-threatening scenario for Allen. Unfortunately, there was still less than consistent results. But what bugged Fou more was that he was once again called back to the neatly organized office of the Branch Head again and he wasn't exactly thrilled.

His last session with the exorcist had been four hours ago and that went on for almost twenty hours. Fou was still exhausted and wanted to recuperate before the next mock battle.

He silently stood by the door with his arms folded, watching Bak glance through the reports that had been obtained from the fighting. All the data was inconclusive, Fou hadn't needed to be a scientific genius to know that. He could sense it within the way the Walker boy fought.

At first there had been purpose within the kid's movements. Now it was just desperation and anxiety within every punch, kick and dodges the kid made. Fou had almost completely lost it with the exorcist several times because of this. But he didn't want to endure Bak's wrath for being _impatient_ and he was forced to deal with it.

"What is it that we are doing wrong?" Bak murmured aloud, mostly to himself Fou reckoned but shrugged anyway just to be safe. When he sensed the young man's blue eyes staring at him, Fou glanced at the floor.

"Any opinions?" Fou sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get out of that one.

"The kid's got too much stuff going on in his head and I think it's causing him to rush things," He said running a hand through his dull orange hair before he had to stifle a yawn. Bak's eyes narrowed slightly before he turned his chair away from him. Fou knocked the back of his head against the wall, waiting to be dismissed so that he could go back to sleep.

"But this method shows a high amount of promise," Bak seemed to say as Fou rolled his eyes.

"… Or we're heading back to square one…" He grumbled under his breath, however Bak had heard him. Standing suddenly from his seat he turned to face Fou with a stare Fou hadn't seen in a while, causing him to flinch.

"If you have a problem with this, say so aloud!"

"Ugh, fine I'll continue to fight him after I've rested!" With that Fou ran out of the room not wanting to here what Bak had to say about that. He only slowed down when he was a fair distance away and slumped against the wall.

Maybe that hadn't been the best idea but Fou was completely drained from battling the exorcist. He forced himself to stand and continued onwards down the gloomy corridor looking forward to the next eight hours in which he'd be sleeping.

As he strolled down the corridor, Fou heard something and paused, tilting his head to the side. He had chosen the back route through the training rooms; they were hardly used by anyone so the walk back should have been somewhat peaceful. Then he narrowed his eyes as he followed the sounds into one of the large training areas.

Fou wasn't in the least bit surprised when he saw the white haired exorcist standing amongst several dummies. From what he could gather, the kid was too focused blocking and dodging to know that Fou was in the room.

"What are you doing brat? I told you to rest!" Fou's voice boomed catching Allen off guard and was promptly whacked in the head by one of the dummies. He watched as the exorcist stumbled, clutching his head in pain before tripping into another dummy. Fou rolled his eyes, as the exorcist lay sprawled on the ground, looking up at him sheepishly.

"Ah, Fou I didn't know you were up?" Allen grimaced. Fou continued to glare at him, wondering if he should yell at the boy further or drag the kid back to his room.

"I'm actually about to go back to bed," Fou chided, folding his arms over his chest. The exorcist looked slightly crestfallen when he said this but he made no effort to show that he had seen this.

"I see…"

"Oh cut the crap, where's the bravado you had a few days ago? You look like you're going to cry, moron," Fou grumbled, not likely the woe-me attitude the exorcist was emanating now. A small fire sparked deep within those silver eyes almost causing Fou to step back.

"No I'm not! I thought maybe a bit of my own training would help…" Allen defended and Fou forced back the urge to sigh. Instead, he groaned into his hand and placed his hands on his hips.

"That won't help at all, I will not have you collapsing from exhaustion during the fight!" Fou shouted at him without giving him anytime to finish. He knew the exorcist was just making excuses. Fou was aware that something bothered him more than just getting his innocence back. The idiot seemed too proud to tell anybody about it!

Fou could only hope that the kid would figure it out soon and get his act together.

"Just make sure you rest or I'll have one of those rookies sleep in your room," he said, glaring at the other end of the room. Allen blinked at him before a small smile appeared on his lips.

"I suppose a little rest would be fine," the exorcist murmured picking himself off the ground and brushing off the dirt from his pants. Fou only nodded.

"Don't let me catch you in here again when you're suppose to be taking a break," Fou added with a half smirk on his lips.

….

Allen was relieved that he hadn't completely pissed the Guardian off, though the orange-haired boy was right. He wouldn't get anywhere by working himself to exhaustion. But that was where he felt conflicted.

Sitting around doing nothing, made him feel like he wasn't making any progress whatsoever. Unfortunately, Allen couldn't exactly say that to Fou without the Guardian snapping at him again.

"So when will our next session be?" Allen decided to ask before he made his way back to his room. Fou raised his eyebrows as if mocking him in someway.

"I'd say in about eight hours maybe ten if you continue to stand there gawking like an idiot," he couldn't help but growl at that last comment. What part of him was gawking? For all he knew, he was reluctantly thinking about actually taking Fou's advice and sleeping some of those hours off.

"Right, right I'll go and rest now… happy?"

"Hey don't get me wrong kid, I just don't want Bak hassling me because I beheaded you during a mock battle _he_ set up," Allen winced at the thought of it really happening and sighed.

"Yes, that would be bad," he agreed looking at the Guardian solemnly. They made one glanced at each other before bursting into laughter. It was strange seeing Fou's face light up with a smile like that before. For some reason, Allen wanted to see that smile more often than the scolding frown he had gotten during their training.

"What are you laughing at idiot?" Fou tried to grumble but the mirth rolled over his tongue, jumbling his words. Allen shook his head helplessly.

"Beats me, I'm too tired to care at the moment," despite the random bout of giddiness, Fou was the first to recover. The stern yet exhausted look on his face quickly replaced that bright smile that made Allen strangely warm inside.

"A lack of sleep is making us both crazy, so I'm going to retire now. You better do the same or I'll postpone the next session," Fou reminded him but this time it seemed playful than an actual threat. But Allen didn't want to push his luck as he let his feet carry him back to his room.

As he surprisingly reached his room through the maze-like corridors, Allen couldn't stop thinking about the smile he had seen. He wouldn't mind seeing that again, but the Guardian could be just as stubborn as he was.

"Best not to over think things…" Allen cheerfully murmured to himself as he flopped down onto the bed. It wasn't long until his eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep.

….

**Yeah, I know… the last part was a little weird but I wanted Fou to slowly warm up to Allen so… yeah? Anyway hopefully this is a good chapter and I'll try and get the next one up sometime next week at least**

**So please leave a REVIEW!**

**:3**


	9. Chapter 9

….

The bladed weapon wielded by the Guardian hummed passed his head. Allen stumbled back and quickly ducked under a wide kick meant for his face. He was somewhat glad that he had heeded Fou's advice and gone back to bed. Allen wasn't so sure if he could have handled this if he were half asleep.

"Focus Walker, you're straying off again," Allen blinked in surprise as Fou kicked him in the gut, sending him skimming across the room. His back lightly touched one of the stone pillars before he felt his way back onto his feet.

'Was not,' Allen growled as he slid into another stance. As relieved as he was that Fou hadn't cancelled their mock battle, Allen still felt intimidated by the Guardian. Despite the warmth of their last conversation, he was no closer to figuring out what Fou was hinting to. What was it that he was getting wrong?

"That's enough you two," a voice called through the hovering black golems and Allen glanced up in bemusement.

"What? Why?" Allen stuttered in disbelief and looked to Fou to see if the Guardian had something to do with it. But it wasn't the case; Fou seemed just as confused by the way his brows drew together into a frown.

"I don't want to hear any complaints, you are all to gather in my office," Bak said sternly cutting off any chance for Allen to change his mind. Allen heaved a sigh and followed Fou and the junior scientists to the Branch Head's office.

When they arrived, they found the blond man sitting at his desk, his head leaning against his hand as he read through some documents. Wong stood behind him with a bundle of rolled parchments in his arms.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here?" The Branch Head said as Allen swallowed nervously. He could only hope that Bak wouldn't stop trying to resurrect his innocence. But the grim look Bak was giving them only heightened his fears.

"I'd like to go over the data that has been collected so far," Bak stood up from his desk and took on of the parchments from his assistant. He turned back to them and unfurled the roll across his table and onto the floor at their feet. Allen gazed down and recognized some sort of graph with rather low readings by the way the distinct zigzag line trailed along the bottom axis.

"This graph shows the reactions of the innocence while Walker was fighting Fou. As you can see there has been little improvements," Allen subconsciously lowered his head in shame as he took this in. He had already sensed the unwillingness from his innocence to take on a specific form. Such depressing thoughts made him sink slowly into his self.

"Then there is the matter of the innocence taking form and Walker holding it," Bak continued, seemingly unaware of Allen's rapid decline into melancholy. He simply turned back to Wong and retrieved another rolled parchment. It was quickly opened and overlaid the existing parchment hanging over the table.

"This has shown a steady consistency until rather recently where it has promptly declined…" Allen had enough, he couldn't take it anymore as he swiftly turned on his foot and stormed out of the room. His head hung low so no one could see the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.

"O-oi Walker!" he heard a voice call after him but he ignored it and hurried further down the hall.

….

Fou watched the white-haired exorcist leave the room, shoulders hunched as if he couldn't take the information anymore. He couldn't blame the boy, after trying so hard only to have it blow up in his face. The forsaken look Fou had seen when the exorcist had turned made his heart clench for him. Fou quickly threw a glare at Bak, not caring about the consequences.

"That was uncalled for Bak!" Fou had shouted at the blond man, leaving Bak rather stunned before hurrying out of the room. He could only hope that the Walker boy hadn't gotten too far but for a sprout, Allen could move quickly.

Fou walked about the Branch aimlessly trying to find the exorcist and was surprised and frustrated to realize that for being a whitehead, he was almost impossible to find!

"The heck? Where'd he go?" Fou exclaimed aloud, ignoring the odd looks from the passing scientists. He was positively annoyed now, firstly, he couldn't find the exorcist anywhere and secondly, he was going to have to deal with Bak later for his sudden outburst.

Fou paused mid step and released an irritated sigh, retracing his steps towards the sealed entrance of the Branch. From there he could scour every hall in the Asian Headquarters for the white-haired exorcist using his abilities as the Branch's Guardian.

As he reached the wide-open area, Fou quickly spied a slender form leaning against a square pillar. He could barely see the faint white strands of hair that fell over their face. Fou gapped in surprise, not truly expecting to find Allen here of all places but he wasn't going to complain. Though now that Fou had found him… what was he going to say. The kid was obviously upset, crying like some three-year-old though Fou was absolute that saying so would make the whole situation a lot worse.

Taking in a deep breath, Fou strolled around the perimeter of the open water. He kept his pace slow and steady hoping to not alert the exorcist to his presence just yet. It wasn't until Fou was behind him that he decided to pat the kid on the shoulder.

"Oi…" Allen almost fell from the railing and into the water below as he spun around to face him. Fou raised his brows, gazing at the shocked expression on the Walker boy's face calmly.

"F-Fou, what are you doing here?" He stammered as Fou sat down on the railing beside him and glared at the wall.

"I thought you could use the company," Fou said dully and caught the boy's eyes widening slightly from the corner of his eye. The exorcist turned away from him, gazing at his right hand.

"Yeah maybe…"

"You shouldn't take everything Bak says to heart, Walker," The Guardian murmured, hoping that by saying this, he would see that ridiculously goofy smile again. But all that came from the exorcist was a raspy laugh, like the kid was showing effort towards some poorly said joke.

"But it's true, I haven't improved at all and I can barely get my innocence to work for me now," Fou felt the rage boil within him as he heard the exorcist murmur softly. He was startled at first by how much the kid's mood could swing and it was becoming a bit unbearable.

"Oi, look at me idiot," Fou hissed in a low voice, grabbing the boy's only arm and spun the exorcist around to face him. Allen gazed back with looked like dead look, not completely like the one Fou had seen back at the bamboo forest but one without a hopeful spark to his silver eyes.

"You're improving and I don't give a rat's arse about the data showing otherwise, I can see it myself," Allen seemed to blink at him in shock before a small smile touched his lips and turned his gaze towards the flat water. Fou frowned at the exorcist not liking how the kid was ignoring whatever encouragement he was giving.

"But the innocence…" Fou raised his hand over the boy's mouth not wanting to hear any more degrading comments coming from him.

"It's not all about fighting Walker. Isn't there something else that makes you want to fight other than revenge or power?" The exorcist fell quiet and Fou lowered his hand. He watched those silver orbs flicker, there was no doubt that Allen was thinking about what he had said.

"Something else…?" Allen muttered softly before pulling his lips into a thin line. Fou nodded slowly drawing up his knees to lean on them.

"Yes, it's like a man going off to war and reluctantly leaves behind family and friends. But he keeps fighting because of those that he has left behind, those that are waiting for his return… those that are important to him," Fou had continued. He saw the realization flicker across Walker's eyes.

"Those that is important... to me…" Allen gazed back at his right hand with a contemplated look as Fou sighed, relieved that he had finally gotten his message through. He had wanted the exorcist to recognize it on his own but it would seem that Allen wasn't Captain Obvious.

"You really are an idiot," Fou snickered playfully and jumped off the railing to make his way back to Bak's office.

"Wait Fou…" Fou paused as Allen called after him and slowly turned around. But what he didn't expect was to have warm lips pressed firmly against his. What was even more shocking was that it had been Allen from the snow white locks obscuring his vision. When the exorcist pulled away there was a cheeky smirk on his face before it brightened into a genuine smile.

"Thank you Fou, I'll convince Bak to give me another chance," the boy said gratefully, stepping past him as the exorcist hurried towards the Branch Head's office. Fou was a little speechless to say the least, his head still reeling from the warmth that had touched his lips. His hand rose to his mouth before he felt his cheeks heat up.

Did that idiot just kiss him?!

….

**Hey guys, sorry about the lateness but I decided to experiment with some ideas before putting this together. Unfortunately this had taken far longer than I had hoped and I finally became satisfied with this chapter only just recently. But I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see when I can get the next one up…**

**Until then, please leave a like or something in the reviews!**


	10. Chapter 10

….

Allen hurried along the corridor towards Bak's office, the warm thoughts of the kiss he gave Fou still replaying in his mind. Part of him couldn't believe he had just gone and did that. The other part was anxious about how the guardian would react to it. To say he was fearful of Fou's reaction next time they met would be an understatement.

'Bak?' Allen asked as he reached the office and stepped inside. Thankfully, only Bak and his assistant were there. The Branch Head glanced up from his documents wistfully and acknowledged his presence with a slight nod.

'Can I help you Walker?' The blond man asked smoothly and Allen swallowed as he gathered his courage.

'I want you to give me another chance, I think I understand what I've been doing wrong,' Bak raised his eyebrows at him, it almost seemed that the man didn't believe him but he then sighed.

'I suppose there is no harm but are you sure Walker? I'll give you fair warning that it may result in the same data given today,' Allen shook his head sternly at Bak's presumption. He was definitely not going to let that happen a second time!

'Things will be different this time,' because he'll be looking at it from a different angle and he had Fou to thank for that. But Allen added the thought silently, knowing it would be best if he kept his conversation with the guardian a secret for now.

'Well if you are certain then we'll begin again tomorrow but the sessions will run for two hours, twice a day,' Bak compromised and Allen nodded.

'Yes, thank you,' Allen said with a slight bow and hurried out the room almost with a skip to his step. But that would have looked weird so he held himself to a blissful hum.

He traveled through the Branch keeping mindful of what direction he was taking and came into the cafeteria. There he spotted Lo Hwa talking quietly to Li Kei and Shifu at one of the tables. The female scientist was quick to notice his approach and stood up with a relieved look quivering in her big brown eyes.

"Are you okay Walker? You made us worry when you ran out like that," she exclaimed and Allen patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm fine, in fact, I managed to get Bak to give me another go at trying to reactivate my innocence," he explained casually as he sat down at the table. Allen watched the surprise spread across the faces of Li Kei and Lo Hwa.

"What? But aren't you scared that the results will stay the same?" Li Kei pointed out rather loudly causing Allen to wince.

"It won't because I finally realized what I was doing wrong," Allen replied confidently as he balled his hand into a tight fist. He was determined to get it right and for the _right_ reasons!

"What were you doing wrong Walker?" Lo Hwa asked as she gazed at him curiously but Allen just smiled at her pleasantly.

"You're just going to have to find out!"

Fou was confounded to say the least as he walked down the long corridors. His mind constantly wandering to that quick kiss that Allen had planted on his lips. As much as the Guardian wanted to scream and bellow in rage, he found himself perplexed by an emotion he thought someone of his station to be incapable of feeling.

Sure he had his respect and acknowledgement of the humans that worked in the Branch. Hell, he even had people he liked to hang out and converse with. But when it came to the white-haired exorcist… Fou had no idea what to think.

"Damn brat's getting to me," he muttered under his breath, his tone of voice held no venom but, if he dare say it, gentleness. Fou frowned as he stopped outside Bak's office door and took several deep breaths. He'll just have to confront Walker about it later but until then, he needed to deal with Branch Head.

"You called for me?" Fou asked as he stepped into the room, keeping a straight face as he stared at the blonde young man. Bak glanced up from the papers in front of him. By the way his dark blue eyes quivered, the guardian knew that the man was angry.

"Yes, it would seem that Walker's gained some new found resolve and is anxious to begin yet another training session soon," the Branch Head leaned back into his chair as the door opened behind Fou and Wong walked passed him with a tray in hand. The older man stepped up to the desk and began placing down a covered teapot and cup in front of Bak.

"Isn't it a good thing that the kid hasn't given up yet?" Fou wondered though he was careful to make it seem like his words were only an afterthought. Bak sighed with annoyance causing his brow to twitch.

"Yes but many staff members have grown uneasy. Apparently word had spread about Allen's assassination by the Noah and they have begun getting anxious… to be frank, I don't exactly blame them," Bak murmured as Wong poured out the tea and picked up the cup, cradling it within the palm of his hand. Fou hadn't dared to say a word but his curiosity was irking him. Somehow he knew Bak was meant to say more.

"You can't simply give up on Walker…"

"I haven't finished!" Fou closed his mouth quickly and remained silently as Bak took a small sip of the green liquid.

"It is only a matter of time before the Noah find out that Walker is alive, which further pushes the point that Walker needs to hurry to regain his innocence before that happens," unfortunately, Fou couldn't help but snort at Bak's gruffness.

"Have you so little faith in the barrier your great-grandfather has created?" The guardian asked solemnly as he gazed unflinching at the cold stare Bak gave back.

"It isn't the barrier that I'm so worried about… it is its deity that I'm distrustful of," the Branch Head shot back in a low voice that Fou physically winced and quickly broke eye contact by turning to face the door.

"Is that all you have to say?" Fou asked stiffly as he did his best to stop himself from shaking.

"Training will begin tomorrow at noon, it'll be for an hour at best," came the blunt reply from Bak before Fou walked out of the room. It wasn't until the door had closed behind him that he bolted towards the Sealed Entrance.

He wasn't going to let anyone see him cry!

**Yikes, this took a while to write! I kind of took an unannounced break to deal with increased boredom and typical writer's block. I've always had an idea of what to write for the next chapter but it was often typing that up that stumped and frustrated me! **

**Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and please leave a review!**


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